xxiii, 627 pages ; 25 cm

An acknowledged expert on the Hebrew Bible, Thomas Dozeman offers a fresh translation of the Hebrew and Greek texts of the book of Joshua and explores the nature, function, and causes of the religious violence depicted therein. By blending the distinct teachings of Deuteronomy and the Priestly literature, Dozeman provides a unique interpretation of holy war as a form of sacred genocide, arguing that, since peace in the promised land required the elimination of the populations of all existent royal cities, a general purging of the land accompanied the progress of the ark of the covenant. This essential work of religious scholarship demonstrates how the theme of total genocide is reinterpreted as partial conquest when redactors place Joshua, an independent book, between Deuteronomy and Judges. The author traces the evolution of this reinterpretation of the central themes of religious violence while providing a comparison of the two textual versions of Joshua and an insightful analysis of the book's reception history

Includes bibliographical references (pages 97-163) and indexes

Introduction -- Bibliography -- Translation -- Notes and comments. Commission of Joshua (1:1-18) -- Rahab, the Trickster (2:1-24) -- Crossing the Jordan (3:1-5:12) -- Destruction of Jericho (5:13-6:27) -- Sacrilege of Achan (7:1-26) -- Ambush of Ai and ritual at Ebal and Gerizim (8:1-35) -- Gibeonite deception (9:1-27) -- War against the southern kings (10:1-43) -- War against the northern kings (11:1-23) -- Defeated kings of royal cities (12:1-24)

Appendix I : Translation of the MT and the LXX -- Appendix II : Geographical terms in the MT and the LXX

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